How's your vocabulary?

[astra]

Meagre vocabulary.
19.500

Some 10-12 words I knew their definition but could not remember now.

P.S. Yes, English is my second language but it is a poor excuse for not remembering those 12 words.

[maianhvk]

10 600

I guess that was because of my laziness. If a strange word shows up (and doesn't play a significant role in the context), I simply ignore it. So, I've come across a dozen of familiar words for some hundred times, but all I know about them are my concepts of their true meanings.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by maianhvk

10 600

I guess that was because of my laziness. If a strange word shows up (and doesn't play a significant role in the context), I simply ignore it. So, I've come across a dozen of familiar words for some hundred times, but all I know about them are my concepts of their true meanings.

If it's any comfort, you're doing a lot better than the average visitor to that site from Vietnam, as the average is only 6593.

Indeed, you're better than the average from all these countries:
South Korea, Germany, Spain, Lithuania, Hungary, Estonia, United Arab Emirates, Czech Republic, Venezuela, Bulgaria, Colombia, Switzerland, Slovakia, Malaysia, Poland, Latvia, Thailand, Egypt, Japan, Taiwan, Brazil, Turkey, Hong Kong, Moldova, Russia, Uzbekistan, China, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Belarus, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

If you use the dictionary on your Kindle, you should quickly increase your vocabulary. But for day-to-day use, you seem very proficient to me already.

[astra]

Originally Posted by maianhvk

all I know about them are my concepts of their true meanings.

Isn't it what you need? I mean if you understand the concept of the word, you know its meaning. I did the test again - yesterday, funny that I did it at about the same time as you, a coincidence - for some words I checked my understand via online English Russian dictionary. Could not put ticks next to 4-5 words, because my understanding was incorrect or not precise enough. I am sure that at some point of time I knew meaning of another 10 words when I was memorising words every day during factory shifts for 4 years. Obviously, I didn't put ticks next to them. I am afraid that my vocabulary has shrunk a bit since moving to the UK. Although, I picked up a few new&odd words too
Yesterday I got 20.500 or something like that. Probably because I learned the word opsimath between these tests

There was a German word leitmotif that sounds exactly the same in Russian (surely the word migrated from German) but besides knowing the word and remembering it in classics books I have no clue what it means
Vocabulary for citizens of Western Europe countries is a lot easier to master if their mother language German, French, Datch, Italian, Swedish.
I know some very intelligent British people got about 28-32K. They are like walking encyclopaedias. Yet, they don't know any foreign language and the test results are lower than some "foreigners" score.
It made me question the validity of the test

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by astra

It made me question the validity of the test

Intelligence isn't the same as vocabulary. Even so, I'll mention again that I scored a little over 36,000...

And age plays a big part in it. One picks up obscure vocabulary as one goes along. Interestingly, they show a levelling off of this around age 50.

[maianhvk]

Originally Posted by astra

Isn't it what you need? I mean if you understand the concept of the word, you know its meaning. I did the test again - yesterday, funny that I did it at about the same time as you, a coincidence - for some words I checked my understand via online English Russian dictionary. Could not put ticks next to 4-5 words, because my understanding was incorrect or not precise enough. I am sure that at some point of time I knew meaning of another 10 words when I was memorising words every day during factory shifts for 4 years. Obviously, I didn't put ticks next to them. I am afraid that my vocabulary has shrunk a bit since moving to the UK. Although, I picked up a few new&odd words too
Yesterday I got 20.500 or something like that. Probably because I learned the word opsimath between these tests

There was a German word leitmotif that sounds exactly the same in Russian (surely the word migrated from German) but besides knowing the word and remembering it in classics books I have no clue what it means
Vocabulary for citizens of Western Europe countries is a lot easier to master if their mother language German, French, Datch, Italian, Swedish.
I know some very intelligent British people got about 28-32K. They are like walking encyclopaedias. Yet, they don't know any foreign language and the test results are lower than some "foreigners" score.
It made me question the validity of the test

1/ By "concepts", I meant I only get some vague ideas about their true meanings. I almost always make wild guesses from the contexts.

Take the word "grumble" for instance: by experiences, I know that people "grumble" when they're upset, and that word describes when they're likely to talk quietly a little more than usually, with sarcastic or bitter comments.
(The same goes for "lycanthrope" or "apocalypse" or "termite"...)

So, I have in mind a "picture" of the word, "drawn" by myself. I "know" what it means, but I don't really know its meaning
By this way, I remember a word better. Looking up any new word I bump into and I'll forget its meaning after 5 secs.
(Of course, built-in dictionary is for the words I don't know beans about!)

2/ How do you know about when I took the test?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by maianhvk

Take the word "grumble" for instance: by experiences, I know that people "grumble" when they're upset, and that word describes when they're likely to talk quietly a little more than usually, with sarcastic or bitter comments.

I know it was just an example, but it's fun the hear how others interpret words. Grumbling is not really sarcastic or bitter, but is complaining in a half-hearted kind of a way, not a serious protest that is expected to be paid attention to.

You're right about the quietly. It has a connection in my mind (spurious or not) with growl and rumble.

Someone might grumble when ordered to do something, but if they only grumble about it, they're still going to obey the order.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Intelligence isn't the same as vocabulary. Even so, I'll mention again that I scored a little over 36,000...

And age plays a big part in it. One picks up obscure vocabulary as one goes along. Interestingly, they show a levelling off of this around age 50.

That's when you start to forget what things like continence mean.

[Chi Cygni]

15 800 and I deny to be ashamed of this number. Yeah, that. And I will stick to this version

(English as second language btw)

[maianhvk]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I know it was just an example, but it's fun the hear how others interpret words. Grumbling is not really sarcastic or bitter, but is complaining in a half-hearted kind of a way, not a serious protest that is expected to be paid attention to.

You're right about the quietly. It has a connection in my mind (spurious or not) with growl and rumble.

Someone might grumble when ordered to do something, but if they only grumble about it, they're still going to obey the order.

Guess what, I just looked it up it's not exactly the meaning I believed it was, but kinda close Now thinking back... you're right, people "grumble" when they quietly protest. It's a feeble complaint.

(Your avatar's all green now, I just noticed that, when did you change it?)

[Chi Cygni]

Originally Posted by maianhvk

(Your avatar's all green now, I just noticed that, when did you change it?)

I KNOW !!!!

[astra]

Originally Posted by maianhvk

2/ How do you know about when I took the test?

I sort of assumed that you did it the other day because you posted the result yesterday?

[maianhvk]

Originally Posted by astra

I sort of assumed that you did it the other day because you posted the result yesterday?

No, I took it today!

Erm... it might be a good thing to keep in mind that we're 7 hours apart

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by maianhvk

(Your avatar's all green now, I just noticed that, when did you change it?)

Today! I'm still not sure about the colours. I might revert to the old one.

[GeoffC]

mmm

38,300 ....

seems an overestimate to me ....